Views

Merchant

From Diablo Wiki

Vendor, merchant, blacksmith and other related words all refer to a NPC who is selling and/or buying and/or repairing goods and/or services. It's a pretty broad term for the sort of "useful" NPCs that are (mostly) not directly involved with quests and story progression. Merchants are also the goal of a handful of achievements in Diablo III.

Since the beginning of RPGs, there has always been someone there who was interested in buying your "Rotten Apples" or "Diamond Rings", and also able to sell you new treasure for gold, or whatever the local currency would be.

These can be called by some generic term like merchant or vendor, but is sometimes referred to with their real profession, like a blacksmith. Depending on title, the items they sell can vary, like a potion master would only sell potions.

Vendor NPCs are able to repair equipment and other functions, and while they mostly are not involved in quests or have proper dialogues, they sometimes do that as well. The merchants in Diablo III are often NPCs who take part in side-stories, whether they are adventures in a desert cave, or even Events like The Precious Ores.

Town merchants are static and will always be found in their own part of town.

They fall into a few general categories: Fence, Miner, and Collector. There are a few that are exclusive to each act.

Fences sell bows and similar items, rings, amulets, and armor.

Miners sell armor and melee weapons.

Collectors sell weapons that are not really fitting into the other categories, armor, potions and dyes.

Quartermasters are rather bland as they only sell potions. The only one in the game is in act 3.

Barkeeps/Inkeepers have a very similar function, and that is that they sell potions, exactly like the Quartermaster.

Peddlers sell weird weapons fitting for a Collector and all the special stuff in the game, such as the Hellfire Ring Plan and crafting plans. The only peddler in the game also sells Wirt's Bell, essential for creating the Staff of Herding.